Heloise: Vinegar cheapest way to remove wallpaper paste

DEAR HELOISE: We just removed all of the wallpaper from our kitchen, which had been there for more than 15 years, and we want to paint instead. What is the best way to remove the wallpaper paste that is left behind? — Janice, via email

Janice, great question! The answer is a cheap item you probably already have in your household: vinegar! You can use either cider or white vinegar, whatever your preference. Mix some warm water and vinegar (about 50/50) in a spray bottle. Spray it on the glue residue. Let the solution sit for a while, then wipe away with a clean scrubbie or old cloth. The acetic acid in the vinegar acts as a solvent to remove the glue. This should take care of your problem. Want to keep the paint smell down while working? Fill a couple of small bowls with vinegar and place around the room to absorb the paint odor. — Heloise

Dear Readers: We asked readers for other uses for wine corks — it’s such a waste to just toss them! Here are just a couple of hints from readers:

Charles A. of Sugar Land says: “An idea for putting wine corks to use is to make a hot pad with a design pattern glued to a corkboard. You can make it any size you wish, and it really is useful for when a turkey is taken from the oven.” (Heloise here: Many new corks are synthetic, so you will need to test for heat resistance.)

Deborah W. of Tamarac, Fla., says: “A national-name grocery store has a cork recycling program. Most people don’t realize that cork is made from stripping the bark off cork trees.

A Florida fisherman says: “I use wine corks for my fishing hooks not in use. It’s a safe way to handle and save fish hooks that you want to use later.”

— Heloise

DEAR HELOISE: I read your column in the Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser, and to my knowledge have not seen this pet peeve: mattresses that have no handles on the sides to assist in turning/flipping them. In the “old” days, I can remember my mother having us hold the handles to help her flip them. — Annette from Alabama

It may be because many new mattresses are “pillow top” and do not need to be flipped, but they certainly still need to be rotated! — Heloise

HELOISEis a syndicated columnist with King Features Syndicate, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio 78279-5000, fax 210-HELOISE.